We left Glasgow at 0830am on Saturday 23/10/04. Alan had travelled up the night before from the NE of England and Billy and Mair came up from Ayrshire. We arrived at Arduaine at 11:00 and were on the water an hour later. The best place to park is on the broad approach road to the pier. The campsite is now closed. There is no public toilet so it is a good idea to stop at Loch Gilphead (toilets are on the left just before the roundabout to the A816 Oban road).
Met Office Inshore forecast: Wind: north 3 veering northeast 4 or 5, increasing 5 to 7 later in south. Weather: rain later. Visibility: good becoming moderate later. Sea State: moderate.
OnlineWeather: Firth of Lorne: Valid for 6 hours from 1200 GMT Saturday Wind: NNE, Force 0 or 1 ( 0 - 3 mph) Weather Mainly cloudy Sea State Calm Visibility 10 miles
Tide times (BST) at Oban: HW 03:37 2.9m LW 09:02 1.5m HW 15:46 3.5m (2 days after neaps).
GPS
track of route 33 km; 7 hrs 10 minutes paddling time; average 4.7 km/hr; max
8.8km/hr.
11:05
Arduaine launch site.
12:00
Billy in the Skerry, Alan in the Aquanaut.
12:03
12:04
Southwest down Loch Shuna in my Quest.
12:13
12:14
Approaching Eilean Arsa
12:14
12:21
Shuna
12:35
Shuna
13:00
South end of Luing. The ebb had already started when we reached here but was not
predicted to turn until -0110 (HW Oban 15:36) i.e. 14:26. Perhaps the low
air pressure contributed to an early turn.
13:36
Approaching the Grey Dogs. The cliffs on the north of the channel look just like
crouching dogs' heads.
13:45
13:57
Sitting in an eddy at the entrance to the Grey Dogs. The waters were teeming
with fish. The ebb was already running strongly, like a river.
14:02
Trough the Grey dogs with the brooding Cruach Scarba behind.
14:07
14:09
14:09
Low lying Colonsay just visible to the south west.
14:09
Approaching Guirasdeal.
14:11
14:14
14:15
Guirasdeal and the newe Lendal Kinetik Wing paddle on test for Paddles magazine.
14:19
Lunga.
14:22
between Lunga and Guirasdeal.
14:29
Spot the otter off Lunga. Two Golden eagles were wheeling high over the island.
Otter
food?
14:33
Looking south west between Lunga and Guirasdeal with Scarba, Jura and Islay in
the distance.
14:33
14:33
14:40
14:44
Looking east to the islets off the north of Lunga.
14:45
Liath Sgeir to the south of Eilean Dubh Mor.
14:51
Eilean Dubh Mor, to the NE of a prominent cave.
15:13
Lunga and Scarba from Eilean Dubh Mor.
15:14
Eilean Dubh Beag and Garbh Eileach (one of the Garvellachs) from Eilean Dubh
Mor.
15:29
Eilean Dubh Beag from Eilean Dubh Mor.
15:30
Eilean Dubh Beag and Mull from Eilean Dubh Mor.
15:30
NE over Belnahua to Seil and the white houses of Easdale. The ebb tide was by
now running strongly between the islands so we did not have time to go out to
the Garvellachs and get to Seil by night fall. We did wonder about camping on
the Garvellachs but the forecast 5 to 7 northerly wind against a flood tide from
the south on Sunday morning put us off!
15:49
The cobbled beach at Eilean Dubh Mor.
15:50
16:28
Belnahua. It was hard work getting here, we rested in an eddy behind Ormsa.
16:33
Belnahua with Scarba and Eilean Dubh Mor behind..
17:12
unset behind the Garvellachs
17:22
Billy and Mair with Scarba behind. Is that a front I see before me, the edge
towards my bow? Yes it is and it very accurately foretold the following day's
weather.
17:34
Approaching Seil.
17:34
17:34
17:40
Panorama from Seil, Cuan Sound on the left, Luing, Scarba, Jura, Islay, Fladda
(lighthouse), Eilean Dubh Mor, Eilean Dubh Beag, Belnahua, Eileach an Naoimh
(the Garvellachs) Dubh-fheith (rock), Mull Easdale island and Easdale village on
Seil.
17:40
Garvellach sunset.
18:00
The NorthFace Chattanooga. A really excellent sea kayaking tent with a huge gear
vestibule. Highly recommended.
18:10
Sunset behind the Black Islands (Eilean Dubh Mor and Eilean Dubh Beag,
18:11Garvellach
sunset.
18:11
Seil campsite.
Met Office Inshore forecast: issued 05:35 24/10/04) Wind: northeast backing north 5 or 6, occasionally 7 Weather: rain clearing. Visibility: moderate becoming good. Sea State: moderate becoming rough.
OnlineWeather: Firth of Lorne (issued 04:24 23/10/04) : Valid for 6 hours from 0600 GMT Sunday Wind: WSW, Force 1 or 2 ( 3 - 6 mph) Weather Moderate rain Sea State Calm Visibility 7 miles
Tide times (BST) at Oban: HW 04:32 3.1m LW 10:08 1.3m HW 16:33 3.7m (3 days after neaps).
07:49
Some of us were up in time to get the last of the ebb through the Cuan Sound.
08:44
Still waiting, Mull behind.
08:45Still
waiting....
08:51
Finally!
08:52
Scarba.
The flood to the NW through the Cuan sound was running strongly by the time we arrived at 09:00. It was predicted to turn at 09:32 (+0500 HW Oban 04:32). Even eddy hopping we were making only about 2 km/hr when paddling at a rate that would normally have resulted in 10km/hr. so the flood was running about 8km/hr at the edge. We slipped through the back channel into Ardinamir Bay.
No pictures crossing the mouth of Seil Sound!
10:16
Degnish Point. The forecast 5-6 NE wind arrived and it was a hard slog from
Ardinamir to the shelter of Degnish Point where we had a flask of tea.
No pictures crossing the mouth of Loch Melfort!
10:56
Rudh' Arduaine, shelter at last. Crossing the mouth of Loch Melfort, the wind
swung round to the east and kicked up a steep breaking sea against the flood
tide.
11:08
Even in the shelter of land photography was not very easy.
11:22
Billy enjoying the Lendal Kinetik Wing. He would not give it back.
12:06
Full circle!
Forecast and tide tables:
Tidal constants with respect to Oban:
Hazards:
References:
Common sense:
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Site editor: Douglas E Wilcox (D.E.Wilcox@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
)
Last edited 11/11/04
Created 11/11/04